Cotton-cleaner.



G. C. LINE,

COTTON CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18,1916.

' Patented Jul 31, 1917.

4 SHEETSSHEETI Fig.1.

INVENTOR G1 Cflnlne G. C. LINE.

COTTON CLEANER.

APPLICATIDN FILED MAR. 18. 1916.

1 ,235,2 1 2. Patented July 31, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESS INVENTOR G5 GZ/ine ATTORNEY G. C. LINE.

COTTON CLEANER.

APPLICATION man MAR. 18. I916.

Patented July 31, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- INI/ENTOR G. Cflnine I .1 I TOR/VEY G. C. LINE.

COTTON CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. 1916.

-1,235,2 1 2. v Patented July 31, 1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

INVENTOR 6'. Gimme TTORIVEY WITNESS FIGE.

GEORGE G. LINE, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

COTTON-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 191*.

Application filed March 18, 1916. Serial No. 85,051.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen C. LINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cotton Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to an apparatus for cleaning cotton known as a boll breaker and cotton cleaner and in such connection it relates more particularly to the construction and arrangement of such an apparatus.

In the breaking of the cotton boll and cleaning of the cotton fiber prior to the gin ning operation as heretofore practised, one of two ways has been used to conduct the cotton to and through the machine, namely First: In the most practised way, the cotton is drawn under suction from the cart to the boll breaker and cleaner and the cotton is drawn under suction through the cleaner chamber in contiguity to a screen wall through which the dirt is sucked from the cotton.

Second: The cotton is forced under air pressure to and through the boll breaker and cleaner and the dirt is blown from the cotton through a screen wall by the same current of air which blows the cotton through the apparatus.

By my present improvement I provide an apparatus which dilfers materially in its operations from either of these two ways in that while the cotton is fed to and through the boll breaker and cleaner under pressure of air, the cleaning of the cotton is performed by blowing a separate current of air radially from the interior of the cleaner in jets through the cotton as it progresses through the cleaner chamber. In other words, the cleaning air current is distinct from the conveying air current and the exit of the cleaning'current from the interior of a revolving cleaning barrel through apertures or nozzles serves to project radially directed and circling jets of air upon the cotton as it travels through the apparatus on the outside of the revolving barrel of the cleaner.

My apparatus further differs materially from one wherein the cotton is blown through and out of the cleaner by a combined cleaning and conveying air pressure or current in that the use of two air currents or two currents of air under pressure, one

conveying longitudinally and the other cleaning radially of the cleaner serves to maintain the cotton in a distended fiufi'y condition and the radial jets of air also serve to check or retard the progress of the cotton under the influence of the conveying air current.

My invention stated in general terms consists in providing, in a boll breaker and cotton cleaning apparatus, first, a means'for conveying cotton and air under pressure to and through the apparatus; second, a revolving hollow barrel between the exterior of which and a screen wall, the cotton travels under the conveying air current; third, a means of introducing air under pressure to the interiorof the revolving barrel and lastly a means for discharging the air in jets radially from the barrel upon the cotton as the cotton travels through the machine.

The nature and scope of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which Figure 1, is a top or plan view of a boll breaker and cotton cleaner embodying the main features ofmy invention.

Fig. 2, is an end elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3, is a longitudinal sectional view of the cleaner.

Fig. 4, is a cross sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5, is a cross sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings1 represents the inlet flue for conveying cotton and air under pressure to the boll breaking chamber 2. A fan or blowing apparatus 3 serves as a means for so forcing the cotton under air pressure to the boll breaker.

In the boll breaking chamber 2 are arranged a feeding roll 4, a breaking roll 5 cooperating with the breast or concave 6, the picker roll 7, hull separating saws 8 and ribs 9 and the discharging hull separating roll 10 directing the hulls through the outlet 11 to the trash and hull receiving trough or chamber 12.

If desired the cotton may be removed from the saws 8 and discharged into a cleaning chamber 13 by means of an air blast issuing from the nozzle like outlet 14 from the chamber or duct 15, and projecting tangentially into the cleaning chamber 13.

The cleaning chamber 13 is inclosed in a cylindrical wall 16 01 screen material and the screen wall is inclosed by an outer Wooden or metal casing 17 the upper portion of which is rounded and the lower portion elongated into funnel shape to form the trough like receptacle 12. Within the screen wall 16 revolves a hollow barrel like structure or member 18 and from the periphery of the member 18 projects a series of pad *dles' or fingers 19 revolving in the cleaner from the interior of the barrel 18 radially "therefrom against the cotton as it travels through chamber 13 and as the barrel 18 revolves the jets of air escaping from apertures 20 travel outwardly and in a circle away from the barrel 18.

Theinterior of the barrel 18 forms a duct or chamber 21 for ainunder pressure. In

' the preferred form of apparatus the fan or blowing apparatus 3 is utilized to not only force the cotton and air under pressure through'the inlet duct 1 and to and through cleaning chamber 13 but also to supply the interior 21 of barrel 18 with air under pressure. To so utilize the fan 3 it is only necessary to tap the duct or flue 1 at a point somewhere in front of the entrance to the boll breaker 2 by a passageway 22 leading air from inlet 1 to the front end'of barrel 18. The passageway 22 may be further utilized as a means for supplying the air blast chamber 15 with air under pressure by connecting said chamber 15 to the passageway 22 by a fine or duct 23.

A damper 24 controls the volume of air entering chamber 15 through duct 23 and a similar damper 25 controls the volume of air entering the interior 21 of barrel 18fr0m passageway 22.

To prevent cotton entering passageway 22 as it'travels across the inlet 01 said passageway in the inlet flue 1, a revolving screen 26 or its equivalent may be'employed. The use of such revolving screen'26 is preferred o'ver'stationary screeningmeans inasmuch'as it permits of the free passage of airinto passageway 22' without'the screen 26 becoming clogged up.

The discharge outlet 27 from the cleaning chamber 13 (see Figs. 1 and 5) extends peripherally and terminatesabove a belt distributer 28. In the base of outlet 27 is arranged a chamber 29 and a chute 30 leading from chamber 29 to troughs 12. In chamber '29'revolves ascreen 31 which permits ber 13.

air and dirt to enter the chute 30 but prevents the cotton from following the air and dirt to said trough 12.

When a bell breaker is not required, provision is made in my present apparatus for cutting out that part of the machine and for discharging the cotton and air under pressure directly into the cleaning cham ber 13 (seell igs. 1 and 4). In such instance a damper or valve 33 is turned in inlet flue 1 to open direct communication between inlet 1 and chamber 13 througha passage 34: and to close the inlet at a point before it discharges into the boll breaking chamber 2. hen, however, both boll breaker and cleaner are required the damper 33 is so turned as to close the passage 3 1 and to I open the inlet 1 direct to boll breaking chamber 2.

In 'the operation of the apparatusor machine, the cotton and .7 air under pressure traverses the chamber 13 longitudinally, the converging air pressure in inlet 1 being utilized to blow the cotton through said chamber 13 to and through its -outlet 27. As the cotton travels through the chamber 13itis subjected to circling'jets of air issuing radially out of the periphery of revolving barrel 18. These jets serve to blow the dirt from the cotton through the screen 16 and also'serve to retard the freepassage of the cotton longitudinally through cham- There are thus two distinct currents of air acting upon the cotton one to -inoveit longitudinally through the machine and the other, a cleaning current blowing through the cotton radially oft-he barrel and at right-angles or substantially so, to the first conveying air current. The result is that the cotton is flufied up and made porous to permit of the second current blowing the dirt directly through the cotton and the screen wall- 16.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new and desire' to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. Thei-mprovement in the art of cleaning cottonwhichconsists-in first maintaining the interior of a hollow revolving barrel like "member under pressure of air while permitting the issuance of the confined air'from the member in jetform from radially and longitudinally spaced orifices in and projecting'from the periphery of said member;

second, discharging cotton under pressure of air to the periphery ofsaid member and conveying the cotton under pressure of air longitudinally over said member and under a screen wall surroundingsaid member, and third, agitating the cotton s0 propelled under 'air pressure over said member by-paddles attached to the hollow 1 revolving member adjacent to saidprojecting orifices to thereby subject 1 the Y propelled and agitated cotton to a series of revolving air jets which serve to blow the dirt from the cotton through said screen wall.

2. In a cotton cleaning apparatus, a hollow revolving barrel like member, a means for introducing air under pressure to the interior of said barrel like member, a series of orifices projecting radially and longitudinally from the exterior of said member, a screen wall inclosing the entire orificed periphery of the member, and a means for propelling cotton under air pressure over the orificed periphery of the revolving member and under said screen wall.

3. In a cotton cleaning apparatus, a hollow revolving barrel like member, a means for introducing air under pressure to the interior of said barrel like member, a series of orifices projecting radially and longitudinally from the exterior of said member, a screen wall inclosing the entire orificed periphery of the member, and a means for propelling cotton under air pressure over the orificed periphery of the revolving member and under said screen wall, combined with agitating paddles each projecting from the periphery of the revolving member adjacent to an orifice.

I. In an apparatus for cleaning cotton, a means for conveying cotton and air under pressure to and through the apparatus, a revolving hollow barrel like member, a screen wall inclosing said barrel and forming, with the exterior of said barrel, a cleaning chamber through which the cotton travels under air pressure, an imperforate casing inclosing the screen wall, a means for introducing air imder pressure to the interior of said barrel, a series of nozzle like orifices formed in the wall of the barrel and constitutin when said barrel revolves, a

means for discharging jets of air radially Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner and circularly of the cleaning chamber, upon the cotton traveling longitudinally of said chamber.

5. In an apparatu for cleaning cotton, a cleaning chamber having a screen Wall, an imperforate casing inclosing the screen wall, and a means for forcing cotton under air pressure through the cleaning chamber in contiguity to the inner face of screen wall in combination with a means for discharging jets of air radially of the cleaning chamber upon the cotton during its progress through the cleaning chamber to thereby blow the dirt from the cotton through said screen wall toward the imperforate casing.

63. In an apparatus for cleaning cotton, a revolving hollow barrel, a screen wall surrounding the barrel, a means for conducting cotton under air pressure to and through the space between the exterior of the barrel and said screen wall, a means for conducting air under pressure to the interior of the revolving barrel, a series of orifices arranged radially in the exterior of the barrel to discharge jets of air therefrom and a series of paddles projecting from the exterior of the barrel contiguous to said orifices and arranged to press the cotton upon the screen wall during the revolution ofthe barrel.

7. In a cotton cleaning apparatus, a cylindrical cleaning chamber, huller saws projecting tangentially into one end of said chamber, an air blast arranged to doff the cotton from said saws tangentially into said cleaning chamber, a second inlet for cotton entering said cleaning chamber tangentially in front of the huller saws, and means for selectively forcing cotton to the huller saws and to said second inlet.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE C. LINE.

of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

